A blog for those who desire a deeper walk with Jesus

Monthly Archives: April 2012

A few decades ago, Christianity found itself at a fork in the road that offered two optional paths – one option was down the path called DIscipleship Way and the other down the path called Self Avenue. Self Avenue was a broad road with an easy, flat grade, and it looked wonderful – health, wealth, fulfillment, good times, and being the center of attention. Discipleship Way, on the other hand was a narrow road with steep mountains to climb, and it didn’t look very appealing – dying to self, surrender, holiness, and brokenness.

So, because the majority of the church was marinated in secular culture, it chose Self Avenue. However, the years have proven that, even though this path looked fabulous to the eyes, it brought spiritual sickness and decay to the church. For those few, however, who refused to be duped by the empty promises of Self Avenue and instead chose Discipleship Way, they found that, even though the going was tough at times, this road led to everything they had ever dreamed of – deep intimacy with God, real purpose in life, and living in the holy, awesome presence of the King.

Unfortunately, the majority who chose Self Avenue were blinded to its harmful effects and kept on barreling down its path. The result? Self has replaced Jesus as the center of the Christian life, which is evidenced in many ways: sermons with “self” as the main theme; Christian book stores filled with books about “self”(how to be a good leader, how to fulfill your dreams, how to be successful, how to unleash your full potential, how to live your best life now, etc); worship services centered around “self” and our senses (major productions with the latest in multi media gadgets, music that entertain instead of bringing us with a sense of awe to the throne of God, etc); and shallow Christians who are literally clueless about the Bible and theology.

We’ve forgotten that life has never been, is not now, and will never be, about us. It is about Jesus. He is the center of all life. He is why we go to church. He is the one who deserves our worship. He is to be at the top of our priority list.

We’ve lost sight of the fact that it is in dying to “self” that we truly find life. The apostle Paul said in Colossians 3:3: “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God”. And in Romans 6, Paul gives the very clear truth that, positionally, we died with Jesus to our old self and now we have to consider “self” dead.

Many people ask: “what is ‘self’ “? Self is that part of me that wants to be God. It is that part of me that wants to be in charge of my life, that seeks fulfillment and meaning in life apart from God. It is the worldly part of me that desires pleasure, ease, and having everything go just the way I want it. It is me without God’s presence.

Far too many Christians have taken Self Avenue and replaced Jesus with “self”, and the results are frightening. The church has become powerless and insignificant in our culture. The most powerful entity on the planet, the church of Jesus Christ, has lost its way because we have bowed the knee to “self”.

Is the church in a hopeless situation? No! There is hope. But our hope, our only hope, is in an authentic move of God in His church, a move of God in revival. Only when we fall on our faces before Him and repent of our idolatry of worshiping “self” and turn back to the One who really is to be Lord of our lives will the church again be filled with His presence and power, and be used by Him to transform our society. The church must exit Self Avenue and merge onto on Discipleship Way.

My friends, it’s not about us! It’s about Jesus. A life lived for “self” is, at best, shallow, empty, and void of meaning. A life lived for Jesus, however, is a life lived to the utmost, and the pinnacle of human experience because nothing, absolutely nothing, can compare to living in a deep intimacy with Him. Die to self, gives the reigns of your life to Him, and find real life!!